MIDDLETON, WI, October 19, 2018 — Benedictine Women of Madison, a religious community of women, received a grant of $1 million to help establish an Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal (ECCSR) at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin. It’s part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving in Ministry, an initiative that supports a variety of religious organizations across the nation as they create or strengthen programs that help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as mentors and guide them through key leadership challenges in congregational ministry. Lilly Endowment is making nearly $70 million in grants through the …

Have you ever experienced Taizé Prayer? Do you know the origins of Taizé Prayer? Sandy Wojtal-Weber, a member of Sunday Assembly at Holy Wisdom Monastery, offers this introduction to Taizé Prayer: Christ is our center. The light of Christ illuminates our very being. This is meditative common prayer. Gathered together in the presence of Christ we sing uncomplicated repetitive songs, uncluttered by too many words, allowing the mystery of God to become tangible through the beauty of simplicity. This form of prayer comes from the Taizé Community of France, founded by Brother Roger in occupied France in the 1940’s. From very simple …

On March 11, 1953 sisters Monica Black, Annunciata Byrne and Martha Glaser of the Sisters of St. Benedict arrived by train from Sioux City, Iowa where their community had been located for 56 years. While the rest of the sisters stayed in Iowa, these three sisters moved north to Madison, Wisconsin, at the invitation of the Bishop, to build a monastery and open a girl’s high school. Much has changed in the 65 years since the sisters stepped off the train and into a new adventure which would transform lives and land. To celebrate the past, cherish the present and …

(Selections from the Liturgy of the Hours used by Benedictine Women of Madison, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton, WI) Anticipating Christmas with the O Antiphons During the last week before Christmas, we begin the daily singing of the O Antiphons, an ancient practice that embraces the sense of longing and anticipation for Christmas which swells with each day. These antiphons are sung prior to the Magnificat, the Song of Mary from Luke 1:46-55, in our evening prayers throughout this week. Each antiphon begins by addressing God with a name that expresses God’s loving design for people of all times and places. Each …

How often the scripture and additional readings during the Liturgy of the Hours compliment each other and bring new light, new insights, new faith and hope. Today, as we honored and remembered Mary, Martha and Lazarus as companions of Jesus, we heard and prayed the following: From the writings of Louis Boyer: By his words “I am the resurrection and the life” Jesus condemns the mistake of faith without hope. He is its living refutation, because, in this incarnate person, he is the incursion of the invisible world. He is the resurrection and life. Faith is directed to him, to …

When Pat Hilts responded to a posting on a bulletin board in the Home Economics Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) campus in 1976, she had no idea that she was about to enhance the lives of many people for years to come. “The posting was from a place called St. Benedict Center and they were looking for someone to do some weavings for the monastery,” says Pat. “I had been spinning wool and weaving since 1968 so I decided to answer the ad.” Pat met with Sisters Mary David Walgenbach and Joanne Kollasch and Frank Kasmarcik, a consultant …

In the monastic Liturgy of the Hours (morning, midday and evening prayers of the community), antiphons are sung as an introduction and a response to readings of the psalms, the heart of our liturgy, and before and after the Benedictus at the end of morning prayer and the Magnificat at the end of evening prayer. During the last days of Advent we change to special antiphons, the O Antiphons, to accompany the Magnificat, Mary’s song of joy and humility. Sung each evening at the end of evening prayer, they provide an additional layer of hope and expectation. The origin of the O Antiphons …

By Lila Hemlin, Sunday Assembly member and oblate My husband Rich Hemlin and I are members of Sunday Assembly and the oblate community. We feel so blessed to have finally found our spiritual home at Holy Wisdom Monastery.While visiting my family in Vermont over the years, we would go to worship and spend time at the Weston Priory, which has a wonderful music ministry. Rich asked the abbot, Fr. Leo Rudloff, OSB, who was an old German monk, if he knew Fr. Philip Fischer, OSB. He said he knew him and he was an exemplary monk. Since then, Fr. …

“Listen!” is the first word in the Rule of Benedict. While a natural ability for most individuals, it is something that Benedictines hone throughout their lives. They believe that good followers and good leaders are good listeners, who listen not only to themselves and other individuals, but also to God. Lectio divina is one of the daily practices in Benedictine life that helps individuals emphasize the unity of being and doing. Lectio divina is a prayerful reading of scripture, a way of spending time with the Word of God. Readings are slow and deliberate, allowing the Word to resonate within …

It can be difficult to know how to respond to the overwhelming concerns of the world that come to our attention. How do we listen with compassion and love, without becoming numb to the troubles that surround us? The daily newspaper can become a valuable tool. As we read with sacred attention, the newspaper can slow us down, informing us about issues and events while also touching the wellspring of our hearts. Adapting the method of holy reading to the paper, enables us to listen deeply with the Spirit to the world’s concerns and pray with intelligence, understanding and compassion. …